When a highly anticipated film is released, it’s common to see its stars gathering at premieres to celebrate their hard work. After weeks and sometimes months working hard together, they’ve earned the right to party. In the case of Dune, the long (long)-awaited sci-fi epic from Denis Villeneuve, the cast reunion on the red carpet was extra special, though.
Shortly after Dune premiered at this year's Venice Film Festival, several cast members documented the momentous occasion on Instagram. Josh Brolin, who plays the role of Gurney Halleck, seemed excited as he awoke on premiere day:
And as later posts would show, the Oscar-nominated actor had plenty of reason to be pumped. Timothee Chalamet, who plays protagonist Paul Atreides, was among the first to share a special moment from the event with fans on Instagram:
It seems like movie premieres, especially at big festivals, can be pretty chaotic- the exact opposite of what this photo seems to show. It’s nice to see a more serene look behind the scenes between Villeneuve, Chalamet and Rebecca Ferguson, a.k.a. Lady Jessica, who also shared an off-the-carpet premiere photo of her own:
It is easy to see why the actress thought this moment, between herself, her gorgeous Dior dress, and a somewhat helpless Josh Brolin was worth sharing. If nothing else, it humanizes the more glamorous aspects of movie premieres.
Meanwhile, Dave Bautista, Dune’s Glossu Rabban was stuck to a red carpet shot for his own Instagram update. However, he still managed to capture the excitement the cast and crew seemed to be feeling at the premiere:
Given how prominently Denis Villeneuve featured in the Dune cast’s updates, it’s safe to say they enjoyed their time on set with the director. It couldn’t be any more obvious that they were all very happy to be back together again, which is understandable given the circumstances.
Dune wrapped principal photography in the summer of 2019, and it was originally scheduled to hit theaters in December 2020. But like so many other films, the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s beloved novel was delayed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, it’s due to hit theaters and HBO Max this fall, in a controversial dual release strategy that not everyone on the Dune team, especially Villeneuve, is happy about.
Despite all these setbacks, it’s good to see that everyone was able to come together and honor the film they’ve been waiting so long for the world to see. Hopefully, the Venice Film Festival won’t be the last place the actors and director will be together, too. The initial reviews for Dune have been overwhelmingly positive, which helps make the case for a sequel -- something that everyone from CinemaBlend’s own Eric Eisenberg to Denis Villeneuve are all hoping will become a reality.
Dune also stars Oscar Isaac, Jason Momoa and Zendaya. It premieres worldwide in theaters and on HBO Max on October 22.
